<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Edifier QR65 desktop speakers, available in black or white for $369, are perfect for people looking to upgrade their Bluetooth speaker(s). Ease of use, a sleek look, and great sound define the best parts of the QR65 speakers. Their all-in-one design limits them from performing well in specific use cases, […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The Pebble X Plus speakers are available now for around $120 (with a 5% clip-on coupon on Amazon). The rich, deep bass perfectly matches the mids and highs delivered by the satellite speakers. However, they do not have built-in battery power, so your portability will be limited to having a power […] More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways These 240W USB-C connectors have a MagSafe-type mechanism that makes them safer and more secure than standard connectors, available now on Amazon with a 30% off coupon. They’re a must-have for travelers, tech enthusiasts, and folks who often switch between different cables and ports. Just be mindful of where you store […] More
When is Amazon’s Spring Sale 2025? Amazon’s Spring Sale runs from now through March 31. That gives you six days to snag great discounts on tech like TVs, sound bars, and more.Are TVs really cheaper during Amazon sales? They can be. Many brands will often mark down popular models and screen sizes during Amazon sales to help move inventory ahead of new releases. And if you’re lucky, you may be able to find an older model at a steep discount or a combination of coupons that help you save even more on a new TV.How did we choose these Spring Sale deals?While plenty of TVs are discounted for the Amazon Spring Sale, not all TVs and discounts are created equal. I focused on reputable brands like Samsung, TCL, and Hisense, as well as TV models that I and other ZDNET experts have reviewed and had hands-on testing experience with. I also made sure that each TV featured on this list had plenty of features that customers have come to expect as standard, such as built-in voice controls, preloaded streaming apps, and enhanced HDR.What are the best Amazon Spring Sale 2025 deals?ZDNET’s experts are searching through Amazon Spring Sale deals to find the best discounts by category. These are the best deals so far:You can also find the best Amazon Spring Sale deals by price:And the best deals from other retailers this week:Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends. More
<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The new Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are the follow-up to the widely popular bone conduction headphones used by dedicated athletes, like marathoners and triathletes They’re now available for $180. The OpenRun Pro 2 are as comfortable as ever, with a longer battery life than their predecessor. The volume of the headphones […] More
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETMillions of working professionals rely on the Microsoft 365 suite of applications for their daily workflows. To speed up some of these everyday business processes, the company is now adding two new AI agents to its Microsoft 365 Copilot offering. Also: Google releases ‘most intelligent’ experimental Gemini 2.5 Pro – here’s how to try itOn Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled its Researcher and Analyst deep-reasoning agents for work capable of conducting higher-level research and data analysis. Both agents leverage existing OpenAI models to deliver more advanced, personalized support tailored to the specific needs and workflows of Microsoft 365 users.Researcher[embedded content]The Researcher agent functions similarly to OpenAI’s and Google’s Deep Research features, sifting through robust amounts of information from the web and outputting that information into a neat report with sources. Moreover, Microsoft’s Research Agent is powered by OpenAI’s Deep Research model in combination with Microsoft 365 Copilot’s “advanced orchestration and deep search capabilities,” according to the release. Also: ChatGPT finally gets a much better image generator – how to try it for freeAs a result, Microsoft’s version can go one step further from existing research agents, also pulling context from your work data, such as your emails, meetings, files, chats, and more. When combined with all of the information available on the web, it is able to create really personalized and rich reports. For example, Microsoft says Researcher can put together a comprehensive quarterly report for a client that combines information found across your apps as well as external news. The Researcher agent can also pull in data from third-party sources, such as ServiceNow and Salesforce, to better inform its outputs. Analyst[embedded content]The Analyst agent was built on OpenAI’s o3-mini reasoning model to provide users with comprehensive insights from raw data in minutes, according to Microsoft. Meant to act as a skilled data scientist, it uses chain-of-thought reasoning, another term for step-by-step processing, to work through complex queries. Users can watch the code running in real-time to learn from its processes and double-check the process. Also: I tried ChatGPT’s new Advanced Voice Mode update – here’s what changedAvailabilityBoth the Researcher and Analyst agents will start rolling out to customers with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license in April. The rollout will be part of a new Frontier program that lets customers experience early Copilot innovations while they’re still being developed. Want more stories about AI? Sign up for Innovation, our weekly newsletter.Artificial Intelligence More
Kerry Wan/ZDNETIt’s Amazon’s Big Spring Sale this week, and while there are plenty of great phone deals on the e-commerce platform, one of the best, if not the best, offers is available elsewhere. I’m talking about the Google Pixel 9 More
ZDNETMessaging app Signal is in the news, and not for anything positive. Defense Secretary and former Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth recently demonstrated how not to use a secure communications channel to share sensitive and classified information. A reporter for The Atlantic found himself inadvertently included in a text conversation among senior administration officials discussing plans for military strikes in Yemen. The situation is a major problem for a few key reasons, as described by BBC News. Also: WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram vs. Facebook: What data do they have about you?However, Signal itself is not to blame. Rather, the onus falls on the government officials who failed to take the proper precautions. In the right hands, Signal can be an effective tool for keeping your chats private and secure. So, what is Signal, and why might you opt to use it instead of another messaging app? Here are seven reasons. 1. End-to-end encryption By default, Signal secures your texts (and your phone calls) with advanced end-to-end encryption. This means that no one, including the Signal Foundation, can read your messages or listen to your calls. For this, Signal uses its own built-in open-source encryption protocol. Not all messaging apps and formats encrypt your texts by default. And when compared with the ones that do, Signal’s protocol is still considered among the best.2. No ads or trackers With Signal, you won’t see any ads or marketing messages, and you won’t be tracked. The Signal Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on privacy and security. This contrasts with other messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and even WhatsApp, all of which can collect certain metadata about your texts. More
